Paper-fastener.



J. E. ARANT.

PAPER FASTENER.

APPLICATION men 00th 1913.

1,146,231. Patented July 13, 1915.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPII CO V/AHINGTON. D. C,

. JOHN E. AIR/ANT, OF MANNING, SOU'lI-l'. CAROLINA.

IPAPER-FASTENER.

1,1&6,231.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 1, 1913. Serial No. 792,878.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN E. ARANT, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Manning, in the county of Clarendon and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper- Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metallic fasteners particularly designed to fasten together two or more sheets of paper.

The primary object of the invention is to generally improve the prior construction of metallic fasteners, and provide a simple and eflicient cap or disk member adapted to be arranged to embrace the contiguous prongs of the fastener for slightly spreading and maintaining said prongs in such spread condition until subsequently forced into engagement with the paper or article acted upon thereby rendering injury to the fingers of the operator unlikely.

A further object of the invention contemplates the provision of means including the disk above mentioned, whereby the prongs of the fasteners may be slightly spread by forcing the said disk during a fastening operation against the head of the fastener, the disk when in normal position being yieldably carried by the prongs through the medium of an offset formed therein.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a disk of the character described which is not only extremely simple and durable in construction but is elficient in operation and can be manufactured and placed upon the market at a minimum cost.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in their preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which;

Figure l is an elevation of a fastener con structed in accordance with my invention, the disk removed; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, part in elevation, of the fastener, the disk having been forced into engagement with the head of the fastener to slightly spread the prongs thereof; Fig. 3 s an elevation of the fastener, the disk bemg shown in its normal position; and Fig. 4: is a top-plan view of the disk.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 1 designates the head portion of the fastener, which, in the present instance, is composed of a concavoconvex disk-shaped member within which the enlarged or head portion 2 of the prongs 3 is maintained.

The form of disk just described is thought to be the generally accepted type; however, the disk comprising my invention may be employed in connection with various other forms of fasteners susceptible of its application.

The prongs 3 of the fastener normally extend from the head 2 in parallel relation, one of the said prongs being somewhat longer than the other, the shorter of the two having a comparatively blunt extremity, the edge of which is beveled, as at 4, as illustrated to advantage in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, while the longer of the two prongs is tapered or pointed as at 5, so as to readily pierce the paper or other article to be fastened.

A disk member 6 having a pair of parallel apertures or slots 7 formed therein is adapted to be arranged to embrace the prongs 3, one of the said prongs extending through one of said apertures, with the dividing strip 8 of the said apertures fitting between the two prongs. Both of the prongs 3 are slightly ofiset, as at 9, to form a housing for the dividing strip 8 of the disk, the said offset portion being positioned at a point adja cent the head of the fastener. I Bythe pro- Patented July 13, 1915.

vision of the offset 9, it is apparent that the disk 6 may be supported and maintained in spaced relation to the head of the fastener without spreading the prongs 3, this being clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Having described fully the construction and arrangement of the several parts comprising my inventiomit now remains to set forth in detail the operation of the fastener. The prongs 3 are first forced through the paper or article acted upon until the said article comes in contact with the upper or outer face of the disk 6 whereupon a continued pressure upon the paper will force the said disk into engagement with the head of the fastener, the dividing strip 8 during such movement of the disk 6 causing the prongs to be slightly spread, in which position they are maintained until subsequently flattened in the usual manner against the upper or outer face of the article.

From the above, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is apparent that the disk 6 when in normal position will in no way interfere with the piercing of the article acted upon by the prongs, as the dividing strip of the said disk is seated within the offset or crimp portion 8 of the prong, the latter acting as a support therefor; that the movement of the disk 6 into engagement with the head of the fastener will remove the said dividing strip from the ofi set 9 and slightly spread the prongs as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings; and that the automatic spreading of the prongs will render injury to the fingers of the operator unlikely, as the continued spreading of the said prongs may be easily and quickly effected.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings com: prehend only the general and preferred embodiment of my invention and that various minor changes in detail of construction, operation and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims and Without sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my inven {mentioned head tion, what I claim as new and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a paper fastener comprising a head portion and normally contiguous prongs, of a disk carried by and movable longitudinally of the prongs into engagement with the mentioned head portion to spread the prongs into fastening position for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with a fastening device comprising a head portion and normally contiguous piercing prongs, of a disk provided with two openings through which the mentioned prongs extend, the prongs b ing outwardly crimp'ed in proximity to the head to receive therebetween that portion of the disk between said two openings, said disk being forcibly movable longitudinally of the prongs and into engagement with the portion to spread the prongs into fastening position for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with an article fastener comprising a head portion and normally contiguous piercing prongs, of a disk carried by and movable into engagement with the head portion through forced contact of the article therewith, such movement of the disk adapted to spread the prongs into fastening position for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. ARANT.

Witnesses:

J. T. STUKES, C. M. THIGPEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D; G. 

